Crowdfunder Launched to Pay for Greek Runner Restoration

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St Peter's Residents' Association seeking to mark centenary

The statue has stood in the square gardens since 1926. Picture: St Peter’s Residents’ Association

July 28, 2025

St Peter’s Residents’ Association has launched a crowdfunding campaign to restore the Greek Runner statue in St Peter’s Square, Hammersmith, ahead of its centenary in 2026.

The Grade II listed bronze sculpture, designed by Sir William Blake Richmond and installed in the square in 1926, has stood as a community landmark for nearly a century. However, conservation specialists have determined that its surface is deteriorating, with protective coatings failing and the underlying bronze oxidising to a copper chloride green.

In partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham Council, the residents’ association hopes to raise £3,124 to fund a two-week restoration programme by Rupert Harris Conservation Ltd. The works will include removing the degraded protective layer, steam-cleaning the statue, applying a new patinated surface, and buffing it to a soft sheen. The surrounding stone plinth will also be cleaned and treated to remove green staining, with any damaged planting around the site made good.

Council planners have approved the restoration, citing the statue’s historical and cultural value within one of the borough’s few Grade II listed parks. St Peter’s Square, laid out in 1825 and opened to the public in 1915 following a successful campaign by local residents, remains a vibrant green space hosting community events, and recently received a Green Flag Award from Keep Britain Tidy.

Sir William Blake Richmond, the sculptor behind the Greek Runner, was a prominent figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement and lived locally in Beavor Lane. He is best known for his mosaics in St Paul’s Cathedral and his contributions to portraiture and stained glass design. The statue was cast in 1879 and donated to the square by Richmond’s family as a memorial.

The residents’ association says the restoration will ensure the statue remains a visual centrepiece and community asset for another hundred years.

At the time of writing the fund raiser had raised over £5,000 to bring it to 40% of its target. Donations to the crowdfunder can be made via Space Hive.

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